I was in a small quaint town in
Spain where I had gone for a visit. I recalled that I had stayed in the town once before many years ago, but I had forgotten just how nice it had been. The town was built on a hill, with pretty buildings all up and down the side of the hill. From where I was on top of the hill, I could see a cutback street coming back and forth up the side of the hill. As I looked out over the picturesque scene, my forgotten memories of the town began to return.

Since I didn't know anyone in the town, I thought I would need to try to meet some people, because I wanted to make some friends while I was there. I thought one way I might accomplish that was to go looking for a car to buy. As I went to different places and talked with people about cars, I would start talking with people who were selling the cars, and perhaps through them get to know some other people who I liked. At the same time I would be learning a lot about the prices of cars in Spain and what I should pay for one.

***

I was in my red BMW which I had brought to Spain with me. I was driving on a flat country road not far from the Spanish town. I was speeding around a curve, when something suddenly blocked my vision, forming a black spot right in front of me so I
couldn't see the road. Before I knew what had happened, I ran off the road into a wide green field on my right. The car stopped, but I managed to pull it back on to the curb of the road.

When I stepped out to look at the car, I saw that my left rear wheel had fallen off. I jacked the car up high into the air so all four wheels were off the ground. I looked at the hub where the wheel had fallen off. The bolts which stuck out from the hub to fit into the wheel were all bent, and three
bolts were even broken off. Part of the hub also looked as if it were rusted. I looked at the wheel lying beside me and saw that the three broken bolts were still in the wheel. I used
a metal tool to begin trying to straighten out the bent bolts still on the hub. I thought if I could get them straightened out, they would be sufficient to allow me to get back to town, at which time the whole hub would probably have to be replaced.

Just then I noticed that a white van had pulled up in front of my car. A man stepped out and I saw that
he was a policeman. Altogether two men and a woman
stepped out of the van. They walked around looking at what I was doing and writing something down on paper. Since they
didn't say anything to me, I didn't say anything to them, but kept working.

Finally one walked up to me, and I said, "Y?"

He began talking in English and quickly informed me that I was going to have to pay a fine of nine hundred dollars. I sputtered,
"No way! No puedo pagar ni voy a pagar nueve cientos dolares!"

It seemed they were just trying to take me for whatever they could. Besides, I
couldn't even be sure they were actually police. They weren't wearing any uniforms. Perhaps they were just acting like police to get my money. There was no way I would pay them without first seeing a judge.

One stepped toward me as if he were going to take me by the arm. I stepped back and began protesting that I
couldn't simply leave my car sitting there on the side of the road. They all stopped and looked at the car, seeming to realize that I was right in what I had said. They seemed uncertain what to do next.